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TAMPA – Heading into the Georgia Dome on Dec. 29 for the Peach Bowl Media Day brought its usual procedure for a media member.

A security guard goes through your belongings to make sure nothing is out of the ordinary, but this one was a little different.

He shouted out: “Which team are you following?”

I said: “Alabama …”

“Please, please they need to lose … everyone wants them to lose?” he said. “It’s better for college football. Everybody is just sick and tired of them winning.”

Not everybody.

Ask the contingent of Alabama fans if winning national titles gets old.

If the Crimson Tide knocks off Clemson on Monday for the second straight year, it will mark the school’s fifth national title in eight years.

“They probably are,” Alabama All-American defensive end Jonathan Allen said. “And, I would be too if I wasn’t a part of them.

“We put in the work for it. We deserve it and as long as we have coach (Nick) Saban we will be in the talk for the national championship.”

Following Alabama’s 24-7 victory over Washington to advance to this year’s contest FOX Sports wrote an article using Twitter responses of people that would be boycotting watching the game because of the Crimson Tide’s presence with comments like: “I don’t need this negativity in my life” and “I want it known I’m not watching.”

Clemson, however, might gain more national followers who have tuned in simply because of people weary of the Alabama’s success. That’s fine with Tigers who are nothing but impressed with the Tide.

“That’s what they do,” defensive tackle Carlos Watkins said. “Clemson is trying to get to that point. Hopefully, sometime people will get tired of us winning. People are going to hate because they win … but I respect that.

“I think we are going to gain some fans. I’ve already had people come up and talk to me at the hotel that are not fans of either team that are going to be rooting for us because they just want to see Alabama lose.”

Clemson offensive lineman Jay Guillermo put it even more succinctly.

“I’m always a fan of good, clean, hard football,” he said. “I never get tired of watching that. And that’s what they do.”

After losing 45-40 last year, Clemson at least knows what to expect on offense, defense and special teams – an area with a successful onside kick and kick-off return for a touchdown that won the game.

“They are the best,” Clemson linebacker Ben Boulware said. “And to earn that right to be the best you have to beat the best.”

Will Clemson be able to fulfill its dream or will Alabama make a vast majority of the national audience sick to their stomachs again?

That’s a good question.

After Alabama defeated Florida 54-16 in the SEC Championship Game, I didn’t think Alabama could be beaten by any team in college football.

Of all the opponents Alabama played in winning titles under Saban – Texas, LSU, Notre Dame and Clemson last year – none of them posed the threat heading into the game that this year’s Clemson team does.

Alabama players remarked Saturday during the game’s annual Media Day how they were not prepared for the Tigers’ up-tempo offense and DeShaun Watson’s elusive style passing and running last year.

If it wasn’t for those special teams plays and the failure of Clemson’s defense to cover little-used tight end O.J. Howard this might be a column discussing Clemson’s bid for back-to-back titles instead.

This year, Watson, even though he had a rough start, is better than a year ago.

He also has Mike Williams, whose skills are reminiscent of future NFL Hall of Famer and former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

Williams can go up and get the ball, ward off defenders with his body like a rebounder in basketball and score from anywhere.

Alabama’s secondary can be beat vertically if Watson is given time.

Alabama’s offense continues to need the recent consistency from Bo Scarbrough. Last year, Derrick Henry rushed for 158 yards but it took him 36 carries with a 50-yard chunk coming on a score in the first quarter.

The Crimson Tide would like the 20-carry, 140-yard effort Eddie Lacy and 21-carry, 108-yard game from T.J. Yeldon (Damien Harris joining Scarbrough maybe) in blowing out Notre Dame in the BCS title championship in 2013.

That will take more pressure off freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Alabama can’t beat Clemson with 57 passing yards. Howard, ArDarius Stewart and Calvin Ridley all need to be involved down the field.

Alabama’s defense is phenomenal, one of the best anyone’s ever seen, but at some point in the game you have to believe it will miss safety Eddie Jackson and middle linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton.

There is a difference between pressure and containing Watson and forcing him into making throws he does not want to make. And the look in Allen’s eyes whole-heartedly believes that’s going to happen.

“I don’t know if we are the Yankees, Lakers or the Patriots,” Alabama left tackle Cam Robinson said. “But I think the country is getting tired of Alabama winning, but they are just going to have to be tired.

“It has been extremely fun run we’ve been on but my attitude, and the attitude of the entire team, is that’s it is not done yet.”

Alabama 31, Clemson 21.

Brad Zimanek is the Advertiser sports editor/consumer experience director. He can be reached at bzimanek@gannett.com or (334) 261-1586. Follow him on Twitter @bzimanek.